''Black Box'' is an American psychological medical drama television series which ran for one season, from April 24 to July 24, 2014, and starred

Kelly Reilly Jessica Kelly Siobhán Reilly (born 18 July 1977) is an English actress. She first appeared on screen in 1995 on the series '' The Biz''. Her other television work includes starring roles in the British crime drama '' Above Suspicion'' (2009– ...

and

Vanessa Redgrave Dame Vanessa Redgrave (born 30 January 1937) is an English actress and activist. Throughout her career spanning over seven decades, Redgrave has garnered numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Television Award, two ...

, on

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

. The program had a straight-to-series order with a 13-episode commitment. The series was created by

Amy Holden Jones Amy Holden Jones is an American screenwriter and film director best known for creating the FOX medical drama '' The Resident''. She has edited various films and later began directing and writing. She currently works in television. Early life and ...

and is co-produced by

Ilene Chaiken Ilene Chaiken (born June 30, 1957) is an American television producer, director, writer, and founder of Little Chicken Productions. Chaiken is best known as being a co-creator, writer and executive producer on the television series ''The L Word' ...

Bryan Singer Bryan Jay Singer (born September 17, 1965) is an American filmmaker. He is the founder of Bad Hat Harry Productions and has produced almost all of the films he has directed. After graduating from the University of Southern California, Singer d ...

, Oliver Obst, and

Anne Thomopoulos Anne Thomopoulos is a television producer and was senior vice president at HBO. She served as an executive producer for the series ''Rome'' (2005–2007) and miniseries ''Generation Kill'' (2008). Career Anne Thomopoulos, a former senior vice presi ...

. After one season, ABC canceled ''Black Box'' on August 7, 2014.

Plot

Catherine Black is a famous neurologist who secretly has

bipolar disorder Bipolar disorder, previously known as manic depression, is a mental disorder characterized by periods of depression and periods of abnormally elevated mood that last from days to weeks each. If the elevated mood is severe or associated with ...

. The only person who knows is her psychiatrist, Dr. Helen Hartramph, who has been with Catherine since her first break and has been a maternal figure for Catherine since her mother, who also had bipolar disorder, committed suicide.

Cast and characters

Main cast

as Catherine Black, a famed neurologist who secretly has

. *

Ditch Davey Kristian "Ditch" Davey is an Australian actor known for his role as Evan Jones in the Seven Network's ''Blue Heelers'' from 2001 to 2006, and for playing the lead role of Julius Caesar in Netflix Season 2: Master of Rome ''Roman Empire'' in 201 ...

as Dr. Ian Bickman, Chief of Neurosurgery *

David Ajala David Ajala (born 21 May 1986) is a British actor. He is known for his roles as Manchester Black in ''Supergirl'' (20182019), Captain Roy Eris in ''Nightflyers'' (2018), and Cleveland "Book" Booker in '' Star Trek: Discovery'' (2020present). E ...

as Will Van Renseller, chef and Catherine's boyfriend *

Ali Wong Alexandra Dawn Ali Wong (born April 19, 1982) is an American stand-up comedian and actress. She is best known for her Netflix stand-up specials ''Baby Cobra'' (2016), ''Hard Knock Wife'' (2018), and ''Don Wong'' (2022). She starred in the film ' ...

as Dr. Lina Lark, Radiology *

Laura Fraser Laura Fraser (born 24 July 1975) is a Scottish actress. She has played Door in the urban fantasy series ''Neverwhere'', Kate in the film ''A Knight's Tale'', Cat MacKenzie in the BBC Three drama series ''Lip Service'' and Lydia Rodarte-Quayle i ...

as Regan Black, Josh's wife *

David Chisum David Chisum (born February 5, 1970) is an American actor. He portrayed Miles Laurence on the ABC Daytime soap opera ''One Life to Live'' from February 9, 2007, to April 22, 2008. Chisum and Rebecca Staab starred in eight 35-second webisodes airing ...

as Josh Black, Catherine's older brother *

Siobhan Williams Siobhan Williams is a British-born Canadian actress. Career Williams' first role was as recurring character Jamie Lewis on ''Heartland (Canadian TV series), Heartland''. In 2012, she appeared in Disney's ''Radio Rebel'' and played the antagonist ...

as Esme Black, Catherine's niece who is actually her own biological daughter *

Terry Kinney Terry Kinney (born January 29, 1954) is an American actor and theater director, and is a founding member of the Steppenwolf Theatre Company, with John Malkovich, Laurie Metcalf, Gary Sinise, and Jeff Perry. Kinney is best known for his role as E ...

as Dr. Owen Morley, chief of staff and department chairman of The Cube and Catherine's former teacher and mentor. *

as Dr. Helen Hartramph, Catherine's psychiatrist.

Recurring cast

* Tasso Feldman as Leo Robinson *

David Rasche David Rasche ( ; born August 7, 1944) is an American theater, film and television actor who is best known for his portrayal of the title character in the 1980s satirical police sitcom ''Sledge Hammer!'' Since then he has often played characters ...

as Hunter Black *

Rachel Brosnahan Rachel Elizabeth Brosnahan (born July 12, 1990) is an American actress. She stars as aspiring stand-up comedian Miriam "Midge" Maisel in the Amazon Prime Video period comedy series ''The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel'' (2017–present), for which she w ...

as Delilah *

Olivia Birkelund Olivia Birkelund is an American actress, best known for her role as Arlene Vaughan in the ABC daytime soap opera '' All My Children''. Life and career Birkelund attended Brown University and studied acting at the Circle in the Square Theatre ...

as Karina Black *

Audrey Esparza Audrey Esparza (born March 4, 1986) is an American actress best known for her role as FBI agent Tasha Zapata on the American television series '' Blindspot'', and more recently as Liliana on ''Power'' and its spin-off, '' Power Book IV: Force''. ...

as Carlotta *

Aja Naomi King Aja Naomi King (; born January 11, 1985) is an American actress. She played Michaela Pratt in ''How to Get Away with Murder''. She began her career in guest-starring roles on television, and starred as Cassandra Kopelson in The CW medical comedy ...

as Ali Henslee *

Edward Herrmann Edward Kirk Herrmann (July 21, 1943 – December 31, 2014) was an American actor, director, and writer. He was perhaps best known for his portrayals of Franklin D. Roosevelt in both the miniseries '' Eleanor and Franklin'' (1976) and 1982 film ...

as Dr. Reynaud * Sepideh Moafi as Dr. Farrah Mahmoud

Episodes

Production

Writer Michael Madden was the winner of the 1st Annual Happy Writers Working Writers Contest from filmmaker networking website

Stage 32 Stage 32 is a U.S.-based social network and educational site for creative professionals who work in film, television and theater. As of August 2021, the global web site had more than 800,000 members. Stage 32 links professionals in the entert ...

. This led to him being hired as a writer on the series, for which he also served as a medical consultant. He had previously worked as the Clinical Director of the New York Hospital-Cornell Burn Center and the Director of Trauma at the

Jamaica Hospital Medical Center Jamaica Hospital Medical Center is a private, non-profit teaching hospital and emergency facility in the Jamaica neighborhood of Queens, New York City, on the service road of the Van Wyck Expressway at Jamaica Avenue. The hospital is a clinical c ...

, before turning to writing. On December 3, 2013, outdoor scenes were filmed on the

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

campus. On March 31, 2014, scenes were filmed at Wave Hill in Riverdale, New York.

Critical reception

Brian Lowry of ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' criticized the show's overly familiar premise, drawing comparison with producer Bryan Singer's earlier series ''

House A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condi ...

'', but commended Reilly's performance and the music. Tim Goodman of ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...

'' slated the series as overly silly, criticizing the acting, writing and visual presentation. Jessica Johnson of ''

Time Out Time-out, Time Out, or timeout may refer to: Time * Time-out (sport), in various sports, a break in play, called by a team * Television timeout, a break in sporting action so that a commercial break may be taken * Timeout (computing), an enginee ...

'' felt the combination of psychological drama and medical procedural did not work, calling it a "a dull, preachy and redundant PSA on bipolar disorder." Alessandra Stanley of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' dubbed the series, "a well-intended mess of a show with preposterous medical emergencies and a few flickers of ingenuity."

Home media

The first season is available on iTunes. The Complete First Season was released on DVD and Blu-Ray in Germany on December 4, 2014, by Concorde Video. The entire series is available for purchase on

Amazon Instant Video Amazon Prime Video, also known simply as Prime Video, is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming and rental service of Amazon offered as a standalone service or as part of Amazon's Prime subscription. The service pri ...

in Germany.

References

External links

* *{{IMDb title, 2968404, Black Box 2010s American medical television series 2010s American workplace drama television series 2014 American television series debuts 2014 American television series endings American Broadcasting Company original programming English-language television shows Television shows set in New York City Television series by Bad Hat Harry Productions